Limited Color Mode

This is no biggie, but I just thought I'd mention it now that I've figured out when it occurs.

The "f.lux is in limited color mode" popup on the taskbar occurs after a Windows 10 upgrade (i.e. one Windows build to the next). I see this a lot on Insider because I'm updating builds at least a couple times a month, but I bet it also happens twice a year for people when they upgrade Windows (like from 1703 to 1709).

It appears for the first two, possibly three, boots after the upgrade.

Yes, it is true - we prompt 3 times per windows version, mainly because Windows has been resetting the adjustment on major upgrades. And if you never click the notifier it will do it on every Windows upgrade.

I clicked some part of it today after upgrading to a new Win10 build, and it told me that I would need to reboot, although I'm not sure why. "Use Wider Slider Ranges" is still unchecked, which is the way that I'd prefer it so there isn't a need to reboot after updating f.lux (plus, I don't use the extremes of the range anyway).

Anyway, since I'm on a new Win10 build upgrade every week, is there something that I can change, even if it's in the Registry, which will stop the message from appearing at all--even when I next upgrade Windows? I can even create a Scheduled Task, if needed.

I clicked some part of it today after upgrading to a new Win10 build, and it told me that I would need to reboot, although I'm not sure why. "Use Wider Slider Ranges" is still unchecked, which is the way that I'd prefer it so there isn't a need to reboot after updating f.lux (plus, I don't use the extremes of the range anyway).

Anyway, since I'm on a new Win10 build upgrade every week, is there something that I can change, even if it's in the Registry, which will stop the message from appearing at all--even when I next upgrade Windows? I can even create a Scheduled Task, if needed.

"Use wider slider ranges" has nothing to do with the change that requires a reboot for expanding the color range so that you can use color temperatures warmer than 3400K. These are two completely different and completely unrelated things.

"Use wider slider ranges" has nothing to do with the change that requires a reboot so that you can use color temperatures warmer than 3400K. These are two completely different and completely unrelated things.

OK, I thought that was what the "Limited Color Mode" thing was about. Which option does "Limited Color Mode" pertain to then? And is there a way to stop it permanently?

"Use wider slider ranges" has nothing to do with the change that requires a reboot so that you can use color temperatures warmer than 3400K. These are two completely different and completely unrelated things.

OK, I thought that was what the "Limited Color Mode" thing was about. Which option does "Limited Color Mode" pertain to then? And is there a way to stop it permanently?

If there's something that says you can reboot to expand the color range, then just do it. It's harmless and it will enable you to choose color temperatures that are warmer than 3400K.

See the second post -- it's a popup on the taskbar promoting the feature. If you update Windows builds regularly, you will see it very often.

The reason I don't expand the color range is that when upgrading f.lux, it then requires a reboot. So that's an easy decision, but as you said, apparently unrelated.

It is unrelated to "Use wider slider ranges". "Expand the color range" (or whatever the exact wording is) has nothing to do with "Use wider slider ranges". Of course, if you don't let f.lux expand the color range in Windows, then "Use wider slider ranges" would be useless since the slider would still be limited to 3400K when trying to choose warmer color temperatures.

If you just let f.lux expand the color range and then reboot when it's convenient, then you'll be done with it. I understand that you'd have to do this with each Windows Update, but it's not like it takes 5 minutes to reboot.

@TwoCables Yes, I conceded what option this pertains to --- I don't really know and it really doesn't matter. It was the only one that I found readily in Options, and it sounded close, so that's why I mentioned it.

When using Option X though (let's call it that), as I mentioned, every time you update f.lux, you will have to reboot. I wanted to avoid that, so I unchecked it.

This thread is merely about what I mentioned in the top post. Surely there should be a way of controlling that messaging short of caving into it.

This feature is part of installing f.lux, and we only prompt when Windows has reset it.

Otherwise f.lux doesn't work with fullscreen apps, and sometimes your screenshots are tinted. We are prompting you to do what we think is the most compatible and lowest impact thing (by quite a large margin).

Also you do not have to reboot right away...just wait until you have a reason to.

@herf OK, that's really interesting. I hadn't heard that being in limited color mode had any adverse effects. Since I wouldn't use the extremely high or low parts of the range, it seemed better to leave it off. If I come across where it's configurable, I might try it again, though I think I probably already have inadvertently enabled it via the taskbar popup (I just haven't rebooted yet in order to tell).

This feature is part of installing f.lux, and we only prompt when Windows has reset it.

Do you know where it's set (perhaps in the Registry) apart from manually via the program? Since Windows faithfully resets it every week with a new Windows build, I'm wondering if I can just restore the setting with each boot, whether it needs it or not, via a scheduled task. If I knew a Registry location and value for it, for example, this would be easy.

Is the main trouble that you would like to say "no, I'm never going to do this" and we don't let you?

Provided that you would click on this - it is one of the few times when we need Admin, so we aren't bugging you just to be annoying. It's because you would need admin credentials to proceed. Scheduled tasks is an interesting idea. Also, the setting is applied at reboot effectively, so we also prompt you to reboot there as well.

Anyway, hopefully we can get rid of it in the future, if Windows supports what we do better.